Use experimentation processes to build authority on SEO and drive greater organic success

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Eli Schwartz
SurveyMonkey
Digital Growth Unleashed, Las Vegas
May 2018
SEO – Winning doesn’t happen by itself

2. Director of Organic Product @
SurveyMonkey
A decade - plus leading SEO
Spent 2 years in Asia leading APAC
marketing
Global speaker and trainer on SEO topics
Writer for multiple industry search blogs
Thought leader on technical and international
SEO

3. Where does SEO sit in your organization?

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Typical SEO team layouts
SEO
Product Marketing
/Content
Engineering

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We are artists not builders

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We are artists not builders

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Agency
• Plans
• Strategy
• Direction
• Audits
• Quarterly reviews
• Report delivery
• Check-in calls
• Maintain the business
In-house SEO differs from agency

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Agency In-house
• Plans
• Strategy
• Direction
• Audits
• Quarterly reviews
• Report delivery
• Check-in calls
• Maintain the business
In-house SEO differs from agency
• Long view
• ROI
• Relationships
• Multiple responsibilities
• Deep domain understanding
• Look to get promoted
• Share price (company growth)

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Influence pays the bills

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Influence pays the bills

11. In-house SEO’s get paid to
deliver results not ideas
We need others to help!

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Have you ever worked with this person?

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To win you need to build a reputation

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• Show why you are the expert
• SEO is an art mixed with science
• SEO helps others to be successful
• SEO requires a domain expert
• SEO is not set it and forget it
• SEO is valuable
To win you need to build a reputation

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16. Challenge everything you
read WITH DATA
Experiments = influence

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Examples of internal expertise building

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Examples of internal expertise building

19. Experimentation Best
Practices

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Develop a test plan and roadmap

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Make tests quantifiable and prioritize on impact

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Sell with a plan A and plan B
Add 500 words of
text to every page
Add 200 words of
text to every page
Grow traffic

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Test with other people as a part of the testing plan
Manager
Content
Engineer BI Design
Reports

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Share out emails announcing successes

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Track changes

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Give credit to everyone

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Use $$$ for ROI whenever possible
CTR
LTV
CAC
ROAS
“We saw an increase of x% in CTR which lead to an
incremental y% in clicks equaling a total increase of $z!”

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Test for STATISITICAL significance

29. Use experiments to learn
and let others take the win
Winning opens up the doors to further wins

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• Content
• Crosslinks
• Meta data
• Site architecture
• Nofollow/nolinks
• Image search
• ASO
Areas you can test

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• Content
• Crosslinks
• Meta data
• Site architecture
• Nofollow/nolinks
• Image search
• ASO
• A tweet from Google
Areas you can test

32. Examples

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Titles

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Meta description

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Inbound links

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Crosslinks

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Broad content

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ASO

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• EARN your expert title
• Always be testing
• Don’t seek the spotlight and it will come
• Use hard metrics and $
• Bring others along for the ride and you will be the hero
Go forth and execute

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Who built the Guggenheim in NYC?

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Architects Build Buildings
Be the architect not the bricklayer

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Participate in an experiment with me
Elis@surveymonkey.com

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45. Thank you!
Find me on LinkedIn